Apparatus for removing snow



J. PULLAR APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SNOW.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. I920.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

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' James Pullar.

J. PULLAR.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING snow.

APPLICATION FILED APR-16,1920.

//v v/v TOR. James Pal/a1" A TTORNEY' Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J. PULLAR.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING snow.

APPLICATION FILED APR-16, 1920.

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1-i-il Fin JAMES PULLAR, F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SNOW.

Application filed April 16, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES PULLAR, a citi zen of the United States, and a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Removing Snow, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of devices for removing snow, especially from thoroughfares, and an object of my invention, among others, is to provide an apparatus of this kind that will effectively accomplish such purpose in an expeditious manner.

One form of apparatus embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a trolley car equipped with my improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section through the car body with parts otherwise broken away to show construction.

Fig. 3 is an end view of my improved apparatus.

Fig. 1 is a detail view in vertical section through a part of the melting tube and illustrating the conveyer.

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section through the same.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 6 denotes a housing within which a portion of the apparatus is located, in the form of device herein shown and described, such housing being in the form of a trolley car, although it will be understood that the apparatus may be embodied in any form of a vehicle. The numeral 7 indicates the trolley arm and 8 the controller with which such trolley car is usually equipped, and I also provide the car with a snow-plow 9 for the purpose of moving the snow into the path of the shovels, to be hereinafter described.

A melting tube supporting shaft 10 is rotatably mounted in the sides of the housing and projects at opposite sides thereof. and melting tubes 11 are secured to said shaft at its opposite ends and in proximity to said housing. A lever 12 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 10 and is connected to rotate it as by means of double pawls piv- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Serial No. 374,508.

otally mounted on the lever to engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel on the shaft, in a manner that will be readily understood.

The melting tubes 11 are preferably of substantially rectangular form in cross section, the floor. however, sloping downwardly away from the housing or car and toward the outer sides of the tubes, and a track comprising rails 15 is supported on said floor to prevent sagging of the side parts of a conveyer chain 16 of any suitableconstruction, shovels 17 in the form of buckets being disposed at suitable intervals along the conveyer. supporting sprocket shaft 18 is rotatably mounted in bearings secured to the sides at one end of each of the tubes 11, and a driving sprocket shaft is similarly supported at the opposite end of each of said tubes, sprocket wheels being mounted on said shafts, and the conveyer 16 being engaged therewith in a manner that will be readily understood. Each of said driving shafts 19 has a driven sprocket wheel 20 secured thereto and connected by a driving chain 21 with a sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on the sup aorting shaft 10, each of said sprocket wheels being connected with a driving sprocket wheel 22 driven by a chain extending from a sprocket wheel on the shaft of a motor 2A, supported in any suitable manner on a bracket fixed to the side of the car, there preferably being two of these motors, one for the mechanism on each side of the car and each being connected by a chain 28 with the driving sprocket wheel 22. These motors will be connected up in any suitable manner to receive electric current, as from wires supplying the car with driving power, such connections for the motors being omitted herein. The driving sprocket wheel 22 and the sprocket wheel connected therewith will preferably be mounted on bushings (not shown) on the shaft 10. The shovels 17 may be of any desired shape to dig into the snow and take it up and convey it to the melting tubes, and each of the double pawls 14 may be supplied with any suitable means for holding it disengaged from the ratchet wheel when the other pawl is in operative engagement therewith. The conveyor chains 16 extend, as to their lower reaches, preferably outside of and underneath the melting tubes, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Each of the melting tubes is supplied with a burner located prei'erably above the conveyor and of substantially the size of the conveyor within the tube, these burners each comprising main pipes 25 supported from the roof of the melting tube and connected by lateral pipes 26, all of said pipes having outlets for fuel within the melting tubes, and, by means of which outlets, flame is produced at each of said outlets, and the latter may be so arranged as to substantially fill the melting tube with such flame. The main pipes are each connected as by means of a hose 27 with a tank 28 located in the car and from which tank fuel is supplied to the burners. A pressure tank 529 may be connected with the fuel tank as a means for aiding flow therefrom, and there may be one or more of the fuel and pressure tanks, as may be desired. Any means for producing pressure within the tank 29 may be employed in a manner that will be well understood and for which reason such means are not shown in the drawings herein.

In operation the car will be moved by its propelling power, and the melting tubes being tipped downwardly at the advancing end of the car and su'ficiently to enter the snow to such an extent as may be required, this being regulated to suit the conditions as to character of: the snow and rate of movement of the car and rapidity with which the melting process takes place, snow will. be taken up by the conveyors and moved thereby through the tubes. The plow will push the snow into the path of movement of the shovels on the conveyor and such snow may thereby be moved from the way in front of the car and between the conveyors. If it is desired to clear the snow from one side of the car only the motor on that side of the car and the apparatus connected therewith may be operated alone.

As the shovels enter the melting tubes they are each at once struck by a hot blast of flame extending over their entire surface, and this will continue throughout the whole length of travel of the shovels within the melting tube and until the snow on such shovels is melted. If it is found that the snow is melted before it reaches the outlet end of the melting tube, the latter may be dipped a little more into thosno-w so that more snow will be taken up and until the conveyors are supplied with such an amount of snow as will be melted by travel of the snow substantially to the outer end of the conveyor. The inclosing of the conveyors within the melting tubes confines the heat closely therein and thus increases its effect in the melting process. It will be apparent that the construction oi. the device is such that the rate of movement of the conveyor may be regulated with respect to the amount of snow taken up so that the latter will be meltodbefore it reaches the outlet end of the melting tube, and this rate of movement of the conveyor may be regulated in efioct by the movement of the car as to its rate.

I claim:

1. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a conveyor tube mounted on said base, an endless conveyor mounted to travel with one reach substantially parallel with the wall or" said tube and in proximity thereto to provide a confined space for supply of heat evenly for the entire length of said reach, and means to supply heat to said conveyor as it travels through said tube.

2. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a conveyor tube mounted on said base, an endless conveyor tube mounted to travel with one reach closely inclosed within said tube to provide a confined and minimum space for heat for the entire length of said reach, the other reach of said conveyor traveling outside of said tube, and means for supplying heat to the conveyor within the tube.

3. A snow remover comprising a portable base, an endless conveyor mounted for movement on said base, a melting tube inclosing one reach of said conveyor, the other reach being located outside of the tube, and burners arranged at intervals along the convoyer for substantially its whole length to project a flame onto saidconvoyer for a substantial distance within said melting tube.

4. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube extending along said base and having substantially parallel top and bottom walls, a conveyor mounted for movement lengthwisethrough said tube and including shovels locates at intervals along the conveyor to travel in a plane substantially parallel with the walls of the base and spaced therefrom a minimum distance, merely to provide room for heating devices, and heating means located within said confined space to supply heat to said conveyor, evenly along its whole length within the tube.

5. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube having its top and bottom walls spaced apart merely to provide a confined and limited space for. a conveyor and heating. devices therefor, a conveyor having one reach mounted for movement lengthwise through said tube, and within said confined space forthe entire length of said reach and comprising shovels located at intervals along the conveyor, said conveyor traveling in proximity to one of the walls of said tube, and a heating device located between said conveyor and the other wall of said tube and close to both.

6. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube extending along said base, means for tilting said tube to project its end downwardly, a conveyer movable lengthwise through said tube, and means for supplying heat to said conveyor.

7. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube extending along said base, an endless conveyer having one of its reaches extending through said tube and the other reach extending outside of said tube, means for operating said conveyer, and means for supplying heat to the reach of the conveyer within said tube.

8. A snow remover comprising a vehicle, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, a melting tube secured to said shaft on one side of the vehicle, means for oscillating the shaft to project either end of said tube downwardly, conveyers mounted for movement lengthwise through said tube, and means for supplying heat to said conveyer.

9. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube extending along said base, means for tilting said tube to project its end downwardly, a conveyer movable lengthwise through said tube, and a burner arranged to project flames onto said conveyer at difi'erent parts thereof.

10. A sno remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube extending along said base, an endless conveyer, having one of its reaches extending through said tube and the other on the outside thereof. means for operating said conveyer, and burners arranged within said tube to project flames on to said conveyer at different places.

11. A snow remover including melting tubes, a portable base on which said melting tubes are pivotally mounted and on opposite sides thereof, means for tilting the tubes to project the advancing ends thereof downwardly, conveyers mounted for movement lengthwise through said tubes, and burners arranged within said tubes to project flames on to said conveyers.

12. A snow remover comprising a vehicle, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, melting tubes secured to said shaft on opposite sides of the vehicle, means for oscillating said snatt to pro ect either end of sald tubes downwardly, conveyers mounted for move ment lengthwise through said tubes, and burners arranged within said tubes to project flames on to said conveyers.

13. A snow remover comprising a portable base, a melting tube located at one side of said base and extending lengthwise therealong, said tube being wide as compared with its height. a conveyor comprising an endless belt with shovels secured thereto and extending, as to one reach thereof, through said tube, means independent of the driving means for said base for operating said conveyer, and a burner comprising jets disposed at intervals within said tube and above said convever.

JAMES PULLAR. 

